Aspects of the invention provide for an apparatus and a method for manipulating and supporting a large mechanical object. Specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to an elliptical bearing manipulator for supporting and manipulating a bearing.
Bearings are used in a wide variety of applications to allow constrained relative motion between parts during rotation. Often, a user desires to weld a sacrificial, softer layer of metal on to the inner surface of the bearing to further protect the moving parts during rotation. For example, an alloy comprising a metal matrix composite, referred to as a Babbitt metal, can be welded onto the surface of a bearing. Welding the Babbitt metal onto a large bearing (such as a bearing used in a turbomachine) is a cumbersome and physically intensive procedure since the bearing needs to be manipulated by an operator, and usually a crane, to be in position for welding. After each weld, the bearing needs to be repositioned for the next weld. Each repositioning requires an operator to push/pull the bearing into position, and given the large size and weight of the bearings, can require a crane and special equipment. Also, in known systems for supporting a bearing, each bearing typically needs to be modified to fit in the system.